Jul 09, 2026

CFRE Commercial Real Estate

Clark

CFRE Commercial Real Estate recently announced that Steve Clark has joined its Bellevue office. He makes the move from North by Northwest Realty. The firm's Gary Hunter said in a statement, “Steve's extensive background in land assemblage and his commitment to delivering strategic results align perfectly with our approach. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team, and look forward to the deep market expertise and client-first dedication he brings to our clients.”

Hensel Phelps

Moore

Swenson

Willey

Franssen

Hensel Phelps announced the following employees have earned new professional certification.

Operations Manager Richard Franssen earned his Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) certification. The credential is nationally recognized and is awarded to industry professionals who demonstrate hands-on design-build experience, including direct involvement in best-practice collaboration during procurement, design and construction.

Franssen brings 20 years of experience to this credential, with a track record rooted in large-scale, operationally complex aviation projects delivered through progressive design-build. His work spans some of the most demanding airport environments in the country including the Alaska Airlines-led SEA Gateway project (also known as the North Main Terminal Redevelopment project) at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Project Manager Connor Willey has earned his Associate DBIA certification.

Willey brings 10 years of industry experience, building a track record on complex, high-profile projects where collaborative delivery and stakeholder coordination are crucial. Across his projects, Willey has applied the communication, planning and problem-solving skills that define effective design-build delivery.

Senior Safety Manager Lars Swenson has earned his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential. Widely regarded as the gold standard in the safety profession, the CSP designation demonstrates advanced expertise in risk management, hazard mitigation and safety program implementation.

Swenson has been with Hensel Phelps for 11 years and supports multiple project teams and safety initiatives across a variety of market sectors, including aviation, data centers, ground transportation and hospitality. In support of the Pacific Northwest Director of Health and Safety, he participates in pre-job planning conferences to help establish safety plans for new contracts. He also conducts periodic safety inspections of jobsites, evaluating both trade partner operations and Hensel Phelps self-performed work using OSHA standards and Hensel Phelps safety program criteria.

Senior Safety Manager Caleb Moore has earned his Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential. The CIH is a globally recognized professional designation for health and safety experts, demonstrating expertise in anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling workplace hazards to protect workers and the public.

At Hensel Phelps, Moore is responsible for on-site safety and security coordination, including implementation of project safety programs. His experience spans a diverse portfolio of heavily phased higher education, industrial, aviation, federal and wastewater projects.

Hensel Phelps is an employee-owned general contracting company founded in 1937, delivering planning, building and management services across a wide range of markets nationwide.

Jul 08, 2026

American Public Works Association

Huling

Donald Huling has been appointed as American Public Works Association (APWA) Region IX Director for the 2026-2027 term. Huling served as the APWA Washington chapter president 2020-2021 and more recently as the chapter's delegate to APWA National. In 2023, Huling received the chapter's outstanding service award. Huling is the director of engineering for HWA GeoSciences where he provides geotechnical engineering expertise on transportation, building, and utility infrastructure projects.

HBB Landscape Architecture

Parker

Stone

Nowaczyk

HBB Landscape Architecture has expanded its ownership team, adding Steve Nowaczyk, Emma Stone and Aaron Parker.

Nowaczyk joins the HBB team as principal and brings a wide-ranging background including residential design, private development, public parks and plazas, and transportation infrastructure. He focuses on longevity, sustainable design, and adaptability of use. Nowaczyk is also a certified disc golf course designer.

Stone is an associate with professional experience spanning public and private realms of Washington, including parks, campuses, and multi-modal transportation projects. Stone also serves on the city of Everett's Board of Park Commissioners.

Parker is a new associate with project work ranging from park master planning to trails and multi-modal transit corridors, and on large-scale public transportation networks in the greater Seattle area.

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

Al-Sharah

Anvari

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) Seattle recently added Ataollah Anvari and Mohammed Al-Sharah to their team.

Anvari transferred from the Northbrook, Illinois headquarters, where he supported structural investigations, condition assessments, and analytical evaluations of buildings and infrastructure systems. Before joining WJE, Anvari conducted experimental and computational research in structural fire engineering and contributed to national design practices that were incorporated into standards, including AISC 360. Anvari holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.

Mohammed Al-Sharah joins the team as a 2026 intern. Recently selected as a 2026–2027 ACI Foundation Fellow, Al-Sharah is a graduate research student at Clarkson University conducting experiments on alternative cements and durability testing. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Washington. His previous internship experience includes positions with both Magnusson Klemencic Associates and AHBL.

Thurston County Superior Court

Wood

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Kelly Wood to the position of Thurston County Superior Court Judge.

Wood's appointment, effective July 2, fills the position that Judge Carol Murphy's resignation will vacate. Judge Murphy retires after 34 years of public service, including 17 years on the Thurston County bench.

Wood is a career litigator with more than two decades of legal experience in all levels of both state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. In his current role as a Senior Counsel and managing assistant attorney general, he advises and represents the Washington State Department of Ecology. Wood has also represented the state of Washington more broadly in various litigation matters, including Washington's lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for worker health issues at the Hanford Nuclear Site.

He also supervises six attorneys who represent Ecology's Air, Climate, Nuclear Waste and Solid Waste programs and the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Wood is also recognized nationwide for federal Clean Water Act litigation. He has been with the Attorney General's Office for 18 years in total.

Wood earned his bachelor's and master's degrees with honors from University of North Texas and his law degree with high honors from Seattle University School of Law.

Jul 07, 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Feltens

The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) announced the appointment of Frank Feltens as its new Susan Brotman Chief Curator. An internationally respected curator, scholar and museum leader, Feltens joins SAM from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, where he most recently served as Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Japanese Art. He will begin his new role at SAM Aug. 17.

As chief curator, Feltens will lead SAM's Curatorial division, shaping the museum's collections, exhibitions, publications and long-term artistic vision across its three sites: the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum and Olympic Sculpture Park. Working closely with Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO Scott Stulen and museum leadership, he will oversee exhibition planning, collection strategy, acquisitions, scholarly initiatives, and a team of curators representing SAM's globally recognized collections.

Feltens joins SAM after a decade at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, where he helped guide the museum's curatorial strategy and organizational transformation while continuing to build an internationally recognized scholarly career in Japanese art. As associate director for Curatorial Affairs, he co-led one of the world's premier Asian art museums, overseeing curatorial teams, strategic planning, and major collection initiatives as the institution entered its second century.

Jul 02, 2026

Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator

The Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator (CSAA) has appointed Jake Gentry as its executive director. Gentry, who helped form the organization three years ago, will lead CSAA's efforts to make the Pacific Northwest the global center of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.

CSAA was formally launched in January 2026 with backing from a Washington state appropriation and more than $10 million in private philanthropic investment. It has assembled a broad coalition of aviation industry leaders, research institutions, Tribal representatives, policymakers, and sustainability advocates united around a single goal: scaling locally produced, low-carbon SAF to one billion gallons annually by 2035.

Gentry will oversee CSAA's full portfolio of initiatives, including feedstock and supply chain development, offtake strategy, shared research and development infrastructure, clean energy integration, and policy advocacy. He builds on a coalition that includes Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Washington State University, Snohomish County, Earth Finance, Microsoft, the Port of Seattle and the Washington State Department of Commerce, among others.

He will also oversee the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Institute, an innovative research and development facility at Paine Field in Snohomish County. The institute will house researchers from Washington State University and other academic institutions to test and analyze SAF, scaling the scientific advancement and speeding adoption timelines. The institute will open in a temporary facility this summer.